This is often the first thing clients say to me. I am not an alcoholic but maybe I am drinking a bit much .
Ok , lets explore that . I have found when a client says to me they are not an alcoholic but maybe drinking a bit too much , they are generally drinking quite a lot too much. If there are 11 units in one bottle of wine ( some have more ) , one bottle of wine per night over a week is at least 77 units.
Just think about that for a moment, that is HUGE . It really is HUGE .
The term alcoholic is a old fashioned term , I believe we have a culture that is an " alcoholic culture ". Just look at recent party gate with parliment and the MPS. Alcohol , cheese and wine and parties. Alcohol is embedded in the culture there.
We use alcohol for everything,
Had a bad day - pour a drink
Had a great day - pour a drink
want to celebrate - pour a drink
Want to get through a children's party - pour a drink
children go to bed- pour a drink
cooking dinner -pour a drink
We as a country are invested in this and Covid only made it worse. People who did not drink at home , now do . there was little to do in lock down and a number of us were struggling with home schooling but alcohol softened the edges just a bit.
If you don't have to get up to get the kids to school, to drive to work , what does it matter if you drink too much. Over a zoom meeting there is not the stale smell of alcohol and you could disguise the blood shot eyes.
The number of posts I saw about wine o clock becoming earlier and earlier, joking away the damage that alcohol is doing to us. Comparing ourselves with others to justify our own drinking , " everyone does it " , " all my friends drink the same way I do " . Oh that's ok then , carry on drinking to excess , damaging your body .
But is it really a laughing matter ? I am not here to preach , not at all , but drink alcohol mindfully . Know what and how much you are putting into your body . Think about alcohol and your relationship with it. Is it really how you want it to be ?